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employee appreciation

  • How to Inspire, Motivate, and Engage Caregivers

    Do you know how to inspire, motivate, and engage your hospital staff members?

    As the workplace is recovering from the pandemic, how do you, as a leader, inspire resilience, agility, teamwork, and positive thinking?

    When the pandemic began, it was evident that all we could do as educators was to get out of the way because healthcare professionals had so much to do.

    During this time, leaders recognized that there was a need to inspire caregivers at every level during these challenging times.

    Here’s how.

    Creating Positive Videos to Inspire, Motivate, and Engage Caregivers

    To inspire your caregivers, record a five-minute video about delivering kindness care to patients, peer care for each other, self-care for yourself, and leadership nuggets of wisdom.

    You can use these videos in different ways:

    • Share a video at a daily meeting or patient experience meeting.
    • Watch the videos and identify habits you like.
    • Create a contest and get points every day if you practice one of those habits.

    Fifteen minutes a day of watching and sharing these videos gives you 90 hours a year to inspire others and be inspired.

    To inspire, motivate, and engage your caregivers, watch positive videos that touch your heart and inspire your soul.

    Listen to people with positive attitudes that inspire you to be better. Think about what inspires you and how you can share that with other people.

    Remember: it takes 21 days to form a habit and 90 days to change a lifestyle. Investing 15 minutes a day watching, listening, and discussing these ideas with your peers gives you 90 hours a year to inspire and be inspired.

    How to access our videos

    You can access these videos in two ways:

    1. Type in “Caregiver Heroes” on YouTube.
    2. Download our “Everyone’s a Caregiver” app and self-register from your smartphone, tablet, or desktop. You’ll have access to these videos anytime, anywhere.

    Just a few noteworthy people who are in these videos include:

    • LeAnn Thieman, co-author of two books
    • Marcus Engel, an inspirational speaker
    • David Irvine

    By creating and watching positive videos, you can inspire your caregivers, which will lead to better patient care. Lead by example and encourage them to have a positive attitude - even when facing challenges.

    Videos that touch your heart and inspire your soul can do so much for you, your team, and your patients. Let’s get inspired today!

    Download the Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter Today

    To empower you in your focus to appreciate, nurture, and support your caregiver heroes, download a copy of Custom Learning’s Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter.

    The charter provides all kinds of best practices to help you bring and create a positive culture where you work. It includes an assessment tool and dozens of best practices to improve morale, attitude, and self-care. It also addresses COVID fatigue and retention and includes a reference library of our Caregiver Heroes videos, TED talks, recommended reading, and more.

    Now let’s go spread kindness care everywhere.

    Please visit our YouTube channel for more information on this topic at https://www.youtube.com/user/Customlearningsue.

    Everyone’s a Caregiver: Providing Education for Healthcare Workers

    Everyone's Caregiver provides education to healthcare workers to improve their patients’ overall experience. We understand the time constraints in today's workplace and have customized microlearning videos to help you gain the necessary skills to be a better, more positive healthcare worker. Contact us today to see how we can help, or click here to learn more.

    Are you interested in patient care? Check out these articles!

  • Show Employee Appreciation by Noticing, Recognizing, and Appreciating

    Do you know how to show employee appreciation?

    Studies tell us that the number one reason people quit their jobs is because they don't feel valued, appreciated, or recognized.

    So how do you address the desire by most employees to feel needed, noticed, and known?
    "There's no limit to what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit.” - President Reagan

    As a leader, your role is not to take credit for the work. It's to acknowledge people who do.

    4 Ways to Practice Employee Appreciation


    There are so many things you can do as a leader to practice employee appreciation. Here are four of them.

    1. Be timely. Show appreciation right away. Don't save it up for the Christmas party - acknowledge people when you see them doing something good.
    2. Be spontaneous. If you're walking down the hallway and you notice a nurse being nice to a family member, point it out to them!
    3. Be specific. Saying "everybody did a good job" doesn't count. Instead, say something like, "the way everybody got together and organized that test drive-through in 24 hours was amazing.” Now that's a compliment!
    4. Gear it towards the individual. Acknowledge each employee differently.

    Get to Know Your Employees


    Get to know your employees by being curious about them.

    When you get to know your employees, you can show appreciation for them in ways that will resonate with them.

    On page 3 of our Uplift Charter, there is a “my list” form. We recommend giving this out to every new hire because it asks questions like "what are your favorite sports?"

    Answers to simple questions like these help you get to know each employee on a more personal level.

    When you get to know employees, you can show appreciation towards them by honoring them with something that matters to them, which is a great way to inspire the best in every employee.

    For example, if you know that one employee loves baseball, you can acknowledge them for something they’ve done by giving them a baseball cap or jersey. If they're bowlers, give them bowling ball polish or bowling ball passes. Give them something that they can use.

    We need to appreciate the uniqueness of every individual.

    Writing thank-you notes has always been a great way to appreciate your people. What I recommend you do is mail it to their home, so when they're opening their mail and their bills, there'll be that little gift from an angel, from you.

    Always remember the Greatest Management Principle: What gets recognized and rewarded gets repeated.

    To summarize what you should take away from this article about employee appreciation, remember these six things:

    1. There's no limit to what people can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit.
    2. The reason people leave jobs is because they don't feel appreciated.
    3. Practice the four attributes to notice and appreciate.
    4. Get to know your employees.
    5. Send thank you cards to people's homes
    6. The Greatest Management Principle: "what gets recognized and rewarded gets repeated.”

    Download the Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter Today


    To empower you in your focus to appreciate, nurture, and support your caregiver heroes, download a copy of Custom Learning’s Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter.

    The charter includes an assessment tool and dozens of best practices to improve morale, attitude, and self-care. It also addresses COVID fatigue and retention and includes a reference library of our
    Caregiver Heroes videos, TED talks, recommended reading, and more.

    Now let’s go spread kindness care everywhere. For more information on this topic, please visit our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/Customlearningsue.

    Everyone’s a Caregiver: Providing Education for Healthcare Workers


    Everyone's Caregiver provides education to healthcare workers to better improve their patient's overall experience. We understand the time constraints in today's workplace and have customized microlearning videos to help you gain the necessary skills to be a better, more positive healthcare worker. Contact us today to see how we can help, or click here to learn more.

    Are you interested in patient care? Check out these articles!

  • The 12 Imperatives of Caregiver Inspiration

    What would be the value if you could learn the 12 imperatives of caregiver inspiration and do it all in ten minutes or less?

    Caregiver inspiration is all about inspiring others and leading by. If you’re interested in the 12 different ways to provide caregiver inspiration, you’ve reached the right place.

    Here’s everything you need to know about inspiring the caregivers and the hospital staff members around you.

    The 12 Imperatives of Caregiver Inspiration


    1. Inspire 5-Star Patient Kindness


    Inspire patient kindness by telling stories of your contribution to others that go above and beyond.

    When you tell a story, it captures people’s imagination. It’s possible, supportive, and can help them through difficult times.

    2. Selflessness


    One question that will guarantee your role as an inspirational leader is: “am I more concerned about myself or others?”. When you’re concerned about yourself, it’s about ego, but when you’re concerned about others, it’s selfless.

    When you show concern about others, you focus on service to others.


    3. Your Staff Members Are Stars


    If you want your people to perform like stars, you must first help them see themselves as stars. You must believe in them. You must bring out the confidence of people who struggle with low self-esteem.

    Show them that you care about them and believe in them.

    4. Lead By Example

    “Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.”

    5. Lead WIth Purpose


    People want to know ‘the why’ behind ‘the how.’ You need to stand up for your values and your beliefs and do just that - lead with purpose.

    6. Lead By Wandering Around


    Find time every day as a leader to check in with your people. Be curious about how they’re doing. Ask them questions about their lives and be there for them.

    Be a brilliant conversationalist by listening to them and talking about their lives.

    7. Notice, Recognize and Appreciate

    The number one reason people leave their jobs is that they don’t feel valued and appreciated.

    Remember, things that get recognized and rewarded get repeated.

    8. Embrace Humor in the Workplace


    The team that plays together stays together. The more we can create sticky, humorous relationships between colleagues, the better.

    9. Lead Inspiring Meetings

    Always open meetings with good news.

    Have everybody share something positive that has happened in their lives, personal or professional.

    End every meeting with ‘good of the patient.’ Invite people to share the best idea or insight that will enhance service to the patient.

    10. Have a Good Attitude


    “Based upon our attitude, we can bring joy or misery.” Be positive, and your staff members will be positive too.

    11. Perpetually Motivate Your Caregiver Heroes


    Motivate your caregivers. Have them create five-minute videos about what inspires them.

    12. “We cannot do all the good the world needs, but the world needs all the good that we can do.”


    Caregiver inspiration is about trying to do good. Always.

    Download the Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter Today

    To empower you in your focus to appreciate, nurture, and support your caregiver heroes, download a copy of Custom Learning’s Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter.

    The charter provides all kinds of best practices to help you bring and create a positive culture where you work. It includes an assessment tool and dozens of best practices to improve morale, attitude, and self-care. It also addresses COVID fatigue and retention and includes a reference library of our Caregiver Heroes videos, TED talks, recommended reading, and more.

    Now let’s go spread kindness care everywhere.

    Please visit our YouTube channel for more information on this topic at https://www.youtube.com/user/Customlearningsue.

    Everyone’s a Caregiver: Providing Education for Healthcare Workers


    Everyone's Caregiver provides education to healthcare workers to improve their patients’ overall experience. We understand the time constraints in today's workplace and have customized microlearning videos to help you gain the necessary skills to be a better, more positive healthcare worker. Contact us today to see how we can help, or click here to learn more.

    Are you interested in patient care? Check out these articles!

  • The Great Resignation

    The Great Resignation Are you experiencing “The Great Resignation?”

    In the face of COVID, nurse burnout, and fatigue, many hospitals currently face staff shortages due to staff resignations.

    Nurses are leaving for various reasons—whether they do not feel valued by their managers, think that there is a lack of a sense of belonging or anything in between.

    I spoke with Bev Kaye, best-selling author of “Up is Not the Only Way: Rethinking Career Mobility,” about the Great Resignation and how it affects hospitals all around North America. We discussed navigating the turbulent waters caused by the pandemic and culture change.

    How to Navigate the Great Resignation During Turbulent Times


    Over 20 million people quit their jobs in the second half of 2021. Fifty-two thousand healthcare professionals were quitting a month.

    Why are people quitting? And how do you fix it?

    There are three main reasons why people quit their jobs:
    1.  They do not feel valued by their organization.
    2.  They do not feel valued by their managers.
    3.  There is no sense of belonging to the organization.

    What Keeps People in an Organization?


    Instead of asking why people leave jobs in exit interviews, Bev came up with an outstanding solution: ask why they stay.

    These are the top reasons people stay with their employers:
    1. Development and growth
    2. Learning and growing
    3. Relationships with management and colleagues
    4. Culture
    Understanding why people stay is critical to success in the recruitment, selection, and onboarding process.

    Employees want to learn. They want to be challenged and have the opportunity to have someone mentor them. Knowing that there is an opportunity for growth is a huge reason people stay in their jobs.

    If there is no room for opportunities, growth, or learning, people leave. The Great Resignation begins.

    The Value of Mentors


    According to Bev, you have a better chance of keeping an employee if someone within the organization mentors them.

    It’s harder to walk away or leave when someone looks out for you.

    Creating a formal mentoring relationship is also a reward and positive acknowledgment for the mentor. For a mentor, it’s an honor to have someone that listens to them. The problem with that is that mentoring is typically reserved for high-potential individuals. Mentoring should be available to everybody.

    Acknowledge and Listen to the Little Things


    Employees leave because they feel like they aren’t appreciated, understood, or respected.

    Listening is critical in a healthcare setting.

    Bev suggests listening to employees. And a part of listening to employees is noticing the little things. Acknowledging the little things with employees can go a long way for staff happiness.

    Saying that you noticed a quick interaction with a patient could speak volumes to an employee—and it takes under a minute to say that.

    Culture: The Biggest Barrier


    Culture is the most significant factor that affects an employee’s decision about whether they want to stay or leave.

    When you start to build a culture of caring—a culture that listens, acknowledges, and asks questions, you can lift people up. All of these things create a culture that makes people want to stay.

    Having that touch of caring—asking a staff member how they’re doing or how their family is doing—can be a healing touch.

    Drive Success By Asking Questions


    The best way to drive success is to ask questions.

    Ask a question and wait for the answer. When the answer comes, delve into that answer and ask a second question. Go deeper.

    Ask questions like:
    • Why did you join this organization?
    • Is it still delivering what you thought it would?
    • When was the last time you thought, “I love my work?”
    • Where were you?
    • What were you doing?
    • Who were you with at the time?


    Asking the right questions can boost employee morale and make staff members feel appreciated. Every answer helps you get to know each employee a little bit more. Inspire and motivate your employees by showing them that you care. By listening, acknowledging, and asking questions, we can put an end to the Great Resignation.

    Everyone’s a Caregiver: Providing Education for Healthcare Workers


    Everyone's a Caregiver provides education to healthcare workers to improve their patients' overall experience. We understand the time constraints in today's workplace and have customized microlearning videos to help you gain the necessary skills to be a better, more positive healthcare worker.

    We provide live training and speaking at events to help hospitals improve employee engagement and their patients' overall experience.

    Contact us today to see how we can help, or click here to learn more.

    Please visit our YouTube channel for more information on this topic at https://www.youtube.com/user/Customlearningsue.

    Are you interested in patient care? Check out these articles!